Congratulations on your child becoming a member of the Anchor Bay School District Instrumental Music Program! This letter is intended to provide information for your child’s decision to join 6th grade band.

One factor to consider when scheduling your child for band is their enjoyment for performing music. The completion of 5th grade band is a major accomplishment and many students start the year knowing little about music and nothing about their instrument. By May, your child has grown as a musician and knows many of the skills needed to continue into middle school. Band is a great way to be artistic and become involved in a school activity with friends!

Instrumental music in Anchor Bay offers your child many benefits:

Builds Self-Confidence

Increases Sense of Accomplishment

Cultivates Creativity

Develops Coordination

Fosters Responsibility and Self-Discipline

Develops Social Skills and Ability to Work with Others

Improves Communication Skills

Creates a Lifelong Appreciation for Music

If continued at the high school level, it will also fulfill the Fine Arts Credit required for high school graduation. We are positive this is the beginning of a musical and educational path that will enrich your child’s life in many ways for years to come. For more information about the high school and middle school programs visit us on the web at www.anchorbaybands.org.

Another aspect to consider when your child is scheduling for 6th grade is music education’s positive impact on your child’s development, especially in the critical years of middle school. Band is a successive class from year to year. Current band students are already familiar with the subject and will know many of their classmates already. Band is a nurturing environment in which their creative mind can flourish. A recent Harris Poll declared musically trained students have a higher salary, achieve higher GPA’s, and perform better on standardized tests than non-music students. Signing up for band in 6th grade is the first step to a lifelong appreciation of the arts and personal fulfillment which is unmatched in any other subject.

As with all things worthwhile, learning to play a musical instrument requires dedication, patience, and persistence similar to learning to play athletics, learning to read, and learning another language. As your child progresses in the Anchor Bay Instrumental Music Program, you will be hard-pressed to find an activity that offers a more rewarding return than your child’s musical involvement.

Your child deserves the best, most well-rounded education that this school district can offer! Please feel free to ask your band teacher any questions you may have regarding your child scheduling band at the 6th grade level. Mr. Kleckner (ABMS North) and Mr. Oranchak (ABMS South) are also valuable resources to answer any questions about scheduling. When your child signs up for band, they are continuing participation in one of the most consistently successful organizations in the Anchor Bay Schools. Band begins in 5th grade, but music lasts a lifetime!